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Cracking the Coconut

Yes, I am talking about cracking an actual coconut. Sorry to those of you who thought the title of this blog might be code for something a whole lot more interesting. But, keep reading anyway.

Benjamin has been bugging me forever to buy a coconut. I blame this coconut obsession completely on the Disney Channel and Jake and the Neverland Pirates. The boys favorite expression right now is “Oh coconuts!” So, it isn’t a big stretch that they would want to try the real, live variety.

I finally relented, and bought a coconut during our trip to the grocery store this week. Cracking the coconut open was an adventure all in itself.

First, we used a screw-driver and hammer to puncture a hole through one of the eyes. Pierre suggested putting a straw into the hole so that the boys could suck out the milk.

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Cute idea, right? Here’s what Nicholas thought of the taste of coconut-milk:

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Yep, it was gross. Pierre and I both had a taste, and confirmed Nicholas’ taste buds. Disgusting. Even Ben, who will eat almost anything, was not impressed.

Maybe the meat would be a little tastier? The boys watched as I took a butter knife, sharp knife, screwdriver and small hammer to the coconut with no luck. No amount of pounding, punching or sawing would crack the darn thing open. Finally, after a quick Google search, the boys and I wrapped the coconut in a towel, and took it out to the driveway where we took turns whacking the heck out of it:

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In hindsight, I should have made the boys wear shoes before giving them a hammer. Oops. Thankfully there were no broken toes. Shoes next time.

Once cracked, we took the coconut inside, cleaned it up, and tasted the meat. Is there a trick to buying a good coconut? A ripe, tasty coconut? If so, I have no idea what it is. A pina colada, it was not.

The boys each gave it a try. Ben said, “It’s good, but I don’t want to try it again.”

Pierre said, “It tastes like turpentine”.

Neither took another bite.

So, we never ended up eating our coconut, but we sure had fun cracking it open. Next time Benjamin asks me to buy coconut at the grocery store, I think I’ll stick to the shredded, sweetened variety.

xo Naomi

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